Grow Where You Are Planted
Elder Stanley G Ellis spoke of this in a conference
report not long ago, suggesting that wherever we are,
we should grow, rather than be always looking to
leave and live somewhere else, living reserving
ourselves to give more fully in some more comfortable
location or something.
I will suggest why it is good to not be moving from
home to home as is so common in our time.
Optimal child development. Children thrive with
consistency. They can make friends from childhood,
and not be so strongly tempted to put on strange
masks to find quick friends in new areas. Moving is
one of the great disturbances to child development,
and greatly affects adults as well.
Neighbors learn to get along. Squabbles happen between
neighbors, and learning to forgive and get along is a
divine thing, instead of resenting and moving away.
You can keep needed boundaries from unsafe behaviors
of others, and only in extreme cases would a person
need to shut out someone from their life.
Pay off the home and save for missionary service.
What if instead of buying a mansion at first chance
and living house poor, you paid off your house, and
saved money toward furthering your education and
serving missions? Not to mention helping your
children do the same, but you must always take care
of yourself too, or your power to fully take care of
your children will be diminished, and the children do
need to learn to work for things on their own. Of
course you will endeavor to teach your children, and
cultivate an atmosphere of a love for legitimate
education in your home.
85% of cars today are financed rather than owned
outright. And I would guess that even less homes are
owned outright. Why do we insist on carrying on with
the plagues of debt? Like Dave Ramsey, the Christian
financial genius suggests, pay cash for a home. Pay
cash for everything. Cut credit cards in half, no one
gets rich with those things. And sky miles are a
joke.
Get to know the people in your neighborhood. How long
will we persist in not even knowing the names of our
neighbors? How can we build the friendships needed to
do missionary work if we are moving from place to
place so often?
If your family grows, have a fuller house, or build
on a room above the attic or on the side if you have
space. In old times it was common to raise a dozen children in what we would call a 2 bedroom apartment. Naturally the kids will need to learn to enjoy spending time outside, and how to get along peaceably.
How will you have influence in local politics if you
haven’t lived there very long, or if you don’t plan
on staying? Instead, get to know the neighbors, and
one by one, persuade them the justice of your
political views, and lead the community to thrive
thereby.
Jesus was of Galilee, a small place comparatively.
Twas there that he grew and worked. He saw no need to
be building himself increasingly large homes every
chance he got. He spent his spare time rather in
learning the law and the prophets, serving others,
and teaching the gospel. What a genius investor,
investing in things which bring highest dividends!
What of where I am being desolated in the day of the wrath of the Lord? Pray that your house is passed over like those in Israel of old with the blood of the lamb on their door. Then stand with those good remaining in the community and build whatever you can from the ruins. If it is not passed over, like the temples which were burned by evil men, then say like Brigham Young, “good, the Lord wants it, let him have it.” Then, also like Brigham, go build another one.
